


Barbed Wire

by kawaiijosephoda



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Addiction, Depression, Detectives, Joseb - Freeform, M/M, Pre-Game(s), PreStem, Suicidal Thoughts, Temporarily Unrequited Love, krimson city
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:02:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4452248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaiijosephoda/pseuds/kawaiijosephoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As his partner, Joseph had always been there for Sebastian. When Sebastian's life starts to crumble, Joseph tries to reclaim what is left of the man he loves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Barbed Wire

"It's almost Valentine's Day Seb, what are you going to get Myra?"

"Joseph, it's almost Valentine's Day, when are you going to stop worrying about me and actually go get yourself a girlfriend." Sebastian laughed. The icy February breeze flowed into Sebastian's office threw the open window and caressed Joseph's face where he sat in the chair next to his partners desk, holding his leather binder close to his chest. He awkwardly pushed back his bangs and tried to ignore Sebastian's question.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make sure you don't get into trouble again." He insisted.

"Tsk." Sebastian waved his hand at Joseph nonchantly, a guilty smirk on his face.

"Anyways, we really should get back to work now." Joseph opened up his binder to reveal hundreds of tightly pack pages, almost all from separate cases, most of them unsolved. After all, Krimson City was a dangerous place to live, and the difference in ratio between crimes and the detectives that solved them was great. Sebastian leaned back into his chair and sighed heavily. It was obvious the work load was beginning to grow to heavy on him, and with a wife and child, it seemed Seb's cool demeanor was starting to wear thin. Even so, Joseph didn't worry. Even with all the work Sebastian did to maintain his life and work, as his partner for seven years, Joseph could tell his partner was happy, which gave him a sense of satisfaction. 

Joseph lived alone, and had since his college days. It had been years since he had had a serious romantic relationship with anyone, and with the hours he dedicated to work, it was impossible to even own a pet. He took his job as a Krimson City detective seriously. His "friends" weren't more than acquaintances to him, and they only consisted of people on the force. Sebastian really was his only true friend, and Joseph had settled with living his life bi curiously through him. Sebastian was popular. As seasoned detective with many decorations, everyone loved him. He was a guys guy, and a woman's day dream. Joseph felt he was just the dorky side kick to him, but even so, they complimented each other perfectly. Joseph was the brains behind the scenes, Seb the brawn, and to Joseph, that was more than fine. 

"Jesus, I feel like this is going to be a very long day..." Sebastian said flipping through the pages of paperwork on his desk. "Let's just make this a paper and research day and tomorrow we can go out into the field and shake some people down, okay?" He looked over to Joseph and smiled. Joseph nodded and smiled back before looking back down at his binder. He sighed loudly and said,

"I guess there's just no rest for the wicked."

The stars were beginning to come out when Joseph resurfaced through the piles of paperwork and yawned. He looked down at his watch with no purpose, looking for a reason to take a break from the hand cramps and paper cuts. Sebastian took notice.

"Hey Jo, won't you go get us some coffee from downstairs?" Seb said cracking his knuckles, trying to stretch himself out.

"Sure." Joseph sat up, grateful for the chance he was given to relax a little. He exited the office and took a deep breath. About only half of the detectives on the force were left in the squad room, and the ones that remained seemed to be getting ready to close their day. They all smiled at Joseph, and Joseph smiled back. 

"Another long night for you two?" Oscar Connelly called from his desk. Joseph casually shrugged as he walked by and continued his way downstairs to the break room. Once there, he turned on the old broken and stained coffee maker and waited for it to start up. As he waited, he removed his black framed glasses and took out a cleaning cloth from his vest pocket. Slow and diligently he cleaned his glasses, trying to reach every nook and cranny he could. As he put them back onto his face, the glasses gleamed like the day he had received them from his grandfather when Joseph had graduated from the academy. The glasses had become a keepsake from him, the man that had practically raised him from the time that he was an infant. Joseph's parents were affluent business workers in Toronto, and had left Joseph to stay with his grandfather so he wouldn't infer with their busy schedules. Joseph deeply admired his grandfather, who had lived in Yokohama, Japan most of his life working as a police officer. His grandfather had instilled many great qualities onto Joseph, including diligences in work and a belief in justice. Joseph kept another keepsake from his grandfather that he had given him for making detective, a Japanese lantern with the kanji 'honorable' written on it, and he died shortly after. Joseph kept it on his desk in his work space. 

The coffee maker beeped and Joseph poured the cups of coffee out into two paper containers, leaving the coffee black as he put on the lids, just like Sebastian liked it. As he started up back the stairs, even for the end of the work day, Joseph could sense that it was quite, and the air seemed heavy and thick. As he entered the squad room, everyone's eyes went straight to Joseph as he started for Sebastian's office.

"Joseph..." He heard someone call from behind as he looked through Sebastian's office window to see his partner had disappeared. He turned back around.

"Where's Seb?" Joseph asked. Connelly stood up apprehensively. 

"There's been a fire at Seb's home. Him and Myra are on the way over there but...Lily and her nanny seemed to be...trapped inside." A warmth consumed Joseph's body and he felt an intense ringing in his ears. His heart dropped into his stomach and he began to grow sick. There was a thud at his feet as he dropped the burning hot coffee on the floor. 

"I...I." Joseph began to stuttered." I need to go." He stumbled over himself almost tripping on the puddle of coffee at his feet. Fine. Fine. Fine. She's fine. Lily's fine. Fine. Fine... She has to be. Fine. But once Joseph reached Sebastian and Myra's home, it was obvious nothing would be fine.

The smell of soot filled the air and invaded his lungs. A column of smoke rose above everything else reaching up towards the sky. People from of walks of life swarmed the area and three firetrucks sat in front, still pumping water into the house, which was completely engulfed in flames. Joseph parked his car in the middle of the street, but remained in the car, petrified with fear. After a few moments, Joseph ripped himself from the car seat and was finally able to leave the car. The heat from the fire instantly hit his face, and his body was soaked in sweat. He slowly walked up towards the house.

"Hey, you can't be here." A large and ruffed up fireman grabbed Joseph's shoulder and pulled him back. Joseph turned and looked at him. He just stared back at him for what seemed like forever before he was finally able to say, his voice shaking,

"I'm a cop." The fireman let go of him, shaking his head. That was when he heard it. It sounded like a animal being gutted alive. Like the worst, most pain filled scream he had ever heard. It sounded like Myra. Joseph ran towards the screaming.

"My baby! Give me my baby!" Myra fought through a pile of firemen and paramedics till finally she was able to reach the lumped up blanket they held and ripped it from their arms.

"Ma'am! Please don't look!" Myra unwrapped the blanket and fell to her knees, grasping the black and bloody mass of a child in her arms. Her wails could be heard by everyone in Krimson City. 

"She's gone ma'am, please let us have her." But she did not even attempt to let go and continued to scream.

"My baby! My baby! Why would they take away my child!" Joseph finally saw Sebastian, who was looming above his wife. Joseph's feet began to move forward once more, but Joseph did not seem to notice. The only thing he noticed was the clump of hair that still remained on the burned bodies' head. It was long, silky, and brown. The same hair that he had been admiring since she was born almost seven year ago. The same hair Joseph used to watch and laugh as Sebastian's large and scuffed up hands constantly tried to braid. It was Lily Castellanos' hair. Joseph looked up and made eye contact with Sebastian. His eye were empty.

Joseph stood above the small white coffin as they lowered it into the ground, people tossing white lilies into the grave. Even with the whole police force there, he felt as if he were alone. Everyone remained quite except Myra, who still remained as hysterical as the day of the accident. Both Sebastian and Myra seemed to blame themselves completely for their child's death since they were both on duty that night when the fire started, but Myra was much more vocal about it. It was her fault they took their child away. If she had done better, this would have never happened. Myra had never seemed to be a religious person till this moment, but Joseph guessed that was what people did when tragedies happened to them. They blamed God. 

Sebastian stood close to Joseph. He hadn't shaved in three days, and reeked of booze. His laid back composure had turned into a silent melancholy, and every time Joseph looked at him, he felt his heart burn with a deepest sadness he had ever felt. Sebastian lived for his daughter. What was he going to do now? Sebastian pulled out a rose from his trench coat and Joseph watched as Sebastian's fingers traced the stem back a forth till a thorn caught on his thumb, and tiny droplets of blood dripped down his hand. He threw the rose down into the hole where he daughter laid.

"Happy Valentine's Day sweet pea." Sebastian took a swig of whiskey from his flask turned around and began to walk away from the grave sight. Joseph remained in his spot and stared down at the rose where it sat on the coffin. Nothing will ever be the same again will it? Joseph told himself. Late February snow began to fall as people started leaving, the flakes starting to cover Joseph's thick black hair. His glasses fogged up till he couldn't see anymore, but he still stood there, listening to Myra's cries in the silence.


End file.
